The ECNEC Has Approved The Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway And Other Projects
According to press reports, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved ten development projects totaling PKR 361.5 billion on Wednesday, including the 306-kilometer Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M6).
Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin approved the construction of the Hyderabad-Sukkur (M6) highway while presiding over the ECNEC meeting via video connection. The six-lane fenced motorway project will be on Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) basis. An M-6 motorway is anticipated to cost PKR 191.471 billion.
This project will be included in the next federal budget, and it is projected to take 30 months to complete. Previously, the Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) board suggested a 39 percent government stake, or PKR 76 billion. However, the public-private partnership has been raised to 50 percent.
To encourage private investors, the PPPA directors agreed to contribute PKR 92 billion from the budget and toll charges for the construction of the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M6).
In addition to the M6 motorway project, ECNEC permitted the Hoshab-Awaran-Khuzdar section of the M-8 project- 168 Km section 2- Awaran Naal at a cost of PKR 32.245 billion. The National Highway Authority (NHA) will construct bridges, retaining walls, toe walls, box culverts, and shoulders. The project is projected to take 42 months to complete. Furthermore, ECNEC authorized the PKR 13.024 billion dualizations of the Mardan-Swabi route, which is anticipated to be finished by 2023.
PKR 28.156 billion has been allocated for the restoration of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s southern, central, and eastern areas. The rehabilitation of the existing 274-kilometer highway network has also been approved, with completion scheduled for 2023.
Moreover, the National Highway Authority (NHA), the Economic Affairs Division, and the Finance Division were urged to work together to develop a framework for raising funds for National Highways and Motorways repair and maintenance (NH&M).
Apart from it, the meeting authorized the PKR 25.928 billion Gomal Zam Multipurpose project. The project will be located in South Waziristan, on the Gomal River. It would irrigate 191,139 acres of farmland and will generate 17.4MW of energy. The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) is in charge of the project.
ECNEC consented to a PKR 16.4 billion, 30MW hydropower project at Ghowari on the bank of the Shayok River in Gilgit Baltistan’s Ghanche district. In addition, a 20MW hydropower project in Gilgit’s Hazel district was permitted at a cost of PKR 12.922 billion.
The Rainee canal project, which would cost PKR 20.534 billion, was also approved at the meeting. It will be administered by WAPDA and would aid in the irrigation of 412,400 acres in the districts of Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur, and Khairpur.
Furthermore, COVID-19 Response and Other Natural Calamity Control Programmes totaling PKR 20.822 billion were authorized. Sindh’s health department would be held accountable for its sponsorship and implementation. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, with funding provided jointly by the federal and Sindh governments.
To prevent delays, the Planning Commission was advised to prioritize strategic projects or ones that can be completed soon. It was also decided during the meeting that the provincial government would bear any additional costs for the projects.